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Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

 I did not grow up throwing punches with schoolmates or with siblings. I did not experience violence in my home as a child. I was never encouraged to throw the first punch, or any punch for that matter. My memories of physical altercations with another person are limited to one specific instance from my junior high years, and the result of my choosing to resort to throwing a punch was not entirely positive. Yes, I did "solve" my problem on one hand, but I created new problems on the other. 

There is certainly a culture that exists in our world that promotes violence as the answer to solving problems. I have a 5 and 7 year old - believe me, some people think that hitting is the only way to fix something. But outside of child's play and sibling bickering, there is a much more damaging culture that promotes "fixing" whatever problem one might have by exerting physical prowess or at least the threat of exertion. It is not limited to one section of culture or even something that is mysteriously absent from Christian culture. 

I listened to a podcast recently that was addressing the issue of toxic masculinity, and I am no expert on this area of discussion, so I won't assume to speak to it. But what I gathered in my listening was that toxic masculinity in the area of violence is not limited to men. There is just as much toxic femininity as there is of the other. Perhaps a better description would be toxic aggression. 

Where does this come from? Is it a result of our media? Gaming? Is it a result of a society that simply says in order to fix things (think relational), the best solution just might be to punch someone in the face? Let's be honest: we've all probably thought about it. Sometimes the urge to rectify an attitude or a situation wells up inside of us and our most innate response is to lash out with a solid hit. 

I suppose this is part of what makes the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives so beautiful. It takes what is innate and alters it. Proverbs 20:3 says "It is honorable to back off from a fight, but fools jump right in." The very idea of backing off from a fight is something that some people could hardly imagine. "He started it!" And if someone else starts it, well, someone's got to finish it. 

Fighting is not, however, just about the punches we throw. Fighting is often the attitude we display and the words we choose. We fight not with physicality, but with our words and our emotions. We fight because it is innate - it's a part of who we are. Unless it isn't.

Jesus said "Happy are the people who make peace, because they will be called God's children." (Matthew 5:9, emphasis added). Making peace is not just standing in the way of the punch or refusing to throw one, but it is also evidenced in the words we choose and the attitudes we display. 

For some of us, this is easier said than done, and I get that. But what is hard for us is easy for the Spirit of God. Heart surrender involves the laying down of what might have been innate before in exchange for the heart of God - which is a peace-making heart. 

Next time you want to throw that punch or spew those words, ask God for His peace to prevail in your own heart. And, along the way, choose a heart of surrender to the heart of God. Pray daily for God to fill you with His Holy Spirit, to remove from you the innate desires that you have in exchange for the desires of God. I believe (because I have experienced it) that in time, God will remove from your spirit that which is not pleasing and honoring to Him.

May it be so.

 

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